novelraw Chapter 222 : Ji Yuan Slays a Golden Core!
Chapter 222 : Ji Yuan Slays a Golden Core!
Chapter 222: Ji Yuan Slays a Golden Core!
"I, Jiang Hong, will definitely kill you!!!"
When Hu Li heard Jiang Hong’s furious roar, he had already made his decision.
If he didn’t run now, then when?
For Jiang Hong, a son of a Nascent Soul cultivator, to let out such a wrathful and hate-filled scream—what did that mean?
It meant Jiang Hong, that dog, had suffered a huge loss.
Qiu Qianhai was someone he had brought in, so no matter what the outcome, once everything was over, he would likely be doomed to die.
With Jiang Hong’s vengeful personality, there was no way he would be spared.
So... run!
With a single thought, he retreated into his Thirty-Six Smoke Formation.
The female cultivator from the Wei Family who had been fighting him hesitated and dared not give chase.
Once inside that formation, if one didn’t know how to break it, then life or death would no longer be up to them.
Hu Li had expected her not to follow. As soon as he returned inside the formation, he took out two items from his storage pouch.
In his left hand was a Talisman Treasure.
If Ji Yuan were here, he would have immediately recognized it—it was the same Talisman Treasure he owned in greatest quantity: the Sky-Escape Shuttle.
Hu Li clearly knew that this place forbade the use of the Sky-Escape Shuttle, so in his right hand, he held a small knife.
A silver knife, only the length of a palm, with a blade no longer than an inch—the rest was all handle.
Gripping the silver knife in his right hand, Hu Li infused it with a trace of spiritual energy and began inscribing formation patterns in midair. As the number of lines increased, the previously unusable Sky-Escape Shuttle slowly began to emit a faint glow.
He had a way to escape from here—this was the source of his confidence in daring to bring Qiu Qianhai in.
At worst... he would just run.
Had he not been fleeing constantly over the years?
One could say that he was either running away or preparing to run.
As the number of formation lines grew, the silver knife in his hand began to look increasingly fragile. Cracks appeared all over it, as if it would shatter at any moment.
The good thing was, the shadow of a streamlined flying boat had already formed beneath Hu Li’s feet.
A few breaths later—
The silver knife in his hand shattered piece by piece.
As Hu Li felt the pain like a knife to the heart, he stared at the faintly glowing formation patterns before him and immediately activated the Sky-Escape Shuttle, entering it in an instant and vanishing from the place.
…
Ji Yuan looked at the spot where Jiang Hong had vanished into thin air, deep in thought.
The method he used to escape resembled a Fixed-Point Transmission Token... At the very last moment of Jiang Hong’s departure, Ji Yuan had sensed a faintly familiar aura from him.
That aura was extremely similar to the Fixed-Point Transmission Token he had in his own storage pouch.
‘That’s entirely possible. If someone like me, a regular disciple of the Water Dragon Sect, can obtain a treasure like the Fixed-Point Transmission Token, then Jiang Hong, the son of a Nascent Soul cultivator, likely has more than one.’
‘I only have one—he probably has several.’
But now that Ji Yuan had seen Jiang Hong use one, he knew how it worked. Next time he used his own, he’d at least have some idea of what to expect.
What a pity!
That bastard got away—he couldn’t be kept here.
If only he could’ve taken Jiang Hong’s storage pouch... Ji Yuan could hardly imagine how rich he might’ve become.
"Martial Nephew Ji."
Now that Jiang Hong was gone and the battle had ended, Dong Qian finally rushed over.
She knew very well that if she’d come earlier, during the heat of battle, she wouldn’t have helped—instead, she would’ve distracted Ji Yuan.
"Are you... are you alright?"
Seeing Ji Yuan’s tattered robes and pale complexion, she couldn’t help but ask worriedly.
"I'm fine. Just a small issue."
Ji Yuan shook his head—it wasn’t a lie.
The injuries from the Talisman Treasure clash earlier had already been healed by his physique. The only issue left was his spiritual energy—his dantian had nearly been drained dry.
One could say he had only a thin layer left.
There was nothing he could do—he’d used a Talisman Treasure, not to mention all the spiritual artifacts he’d activated, including quite a few upper-grade ones.
If his spiritual energy hadn’t been previously refined, he might not have lasted today.
Without saying another word to Dong Qian, Ji Yuan’s body turned into black mist and reformed again in front of the Ice Flood Dragon and the Scarlet Chain Python.
The Ice Flood Dragon was still alright—it could even breathe out some cold mist.
But the Scarlet Chain Python was in far worse shape.
When Ji Yuan had detonated the Stardust earlier, aside from focusing on Jiang Hong, he had also spared some attention for the Scarlet Chain Python. Now, it lay sprawled like a corpse on the ground, blood oozing from every scale. It couldn’t even flick its tongue anymore.
If this Scarlet Chain Python had fully matured, it would’ve been a Tier-3 monster beast.
Ji Yuan figured the only reason it was still stuck at late Tier-2 was due to Jiang Hong’s limited cultivation—not because it couldn’t grow further.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
Ji Yuan stretched out his right hand, and the Inverted Golden-Ear Cauldron, an upper-grade spiritual artifact, appeared and spun continuously.
"Go!"
With a flick of his right hand, the Inverted Golden-Ear Cauldron expanded in the wind. By the time it hit the ground, it had become a massive bronze cauldron that firmly suppressed the Scarlet Chain Python.
"Ice Flood Dragon, eat it!"
With just a thought, the Ice Flood Dragon, which had been pretending to be dead on the ground, immediately crawled up and opened its bloody maw, biting down on the Scarlet Chain Python.
Ji Yuan didn’t even look back. He summoned the Sky-Slicer Boat and flew to another part of the battlefield.
He hadn’t forgotten—the Yin Child was still getting beaten.
They were both mid-Foundation Establishment, and he even had to fight two opponents at once—which would’ve been manageable.
But the key point was who these two were: they had been a pair of twins in life. Even in death, their cooperation was impeccable, making life miserable for the Yin Child.
Since they were corpse servants left behind by Jiang Hong, Ji Yuan didn’t dare to keep them.
So he had to destroy them.
He didn’t hold back. As soon as he arrived, he took a second swig of Peerless Wine and activated the Blood Marrow Pearl on his chest.
Combining the two, Ji Yuan summoned the sword embryo from his dantian.
Still his strongest one to date—the second sword:
Dragon Fortune Flying Sword!
As the sword light flashed, Ji Yuan also had the Yin Child ring the Seven-Slaughter Infant Cry Bell.
Though corpse servants had no souls, the Infant Cry Bell still had considerable killing power when rung normally.
In an instant, the two mid-Foundation Establishment corpse servants were slain.
Ji Yuan casually threw out two Tier-2 fire talismans, thoughtfully reducing them to ashes.
Then he used his Divine Sense to scan the Yin Child.
Wounds covered his entire body. His left calf had even been sliced, with a chunk of flesh missing.
Such injuries would’ve crippled a normal person.
But fortunately, the Yin Child was a corpse servant and felt no pain—he was completely unfazed.
Hmm... to fix him, he’d have to be sent back to the Grave Mound to sleep in a coffin for half a year.
With a thought, Ji Yuan retracted the Yin Child.
"Still can’t get out?"
Ji Yuan turned to ask Dong Qian, who had followed him over.
"The blockade was set up by Real Person Heaven Silkworm. If we don’t take care of him, we probably can’t get out."
Dong Qian shook her head slowly. "But people outside won’t be able to come in either."
"Can your demon fox kill him?"
"It can’t. At best, it can only hold him off."
Hearing this, Ji Yuan’s heart stirred.
Jiang Hong had escaped—what if he killed Heaven Silkworm?
That would at least be partial revenge, and it might even help him recover some of his losses.
After all, he’d just gone all out against Jiang Hong—aside from not using the Spirit Energy Cannon and the Spirit-Devouring Bees, he had used nearly everything.
But what did he gain?
Aside from some measly combat experience—nothing.
And he had used a Talisman Treasure!
He had also lost a lower-grade spiritual artifact—the Mirage Needle. His Black Demon Armor had been damaged, and the upper-grade Inverted Golden-Ear Cauldron had been corroded.
Those losses—someone had to pay for them.
Besides, when facing Jiang Hong, Ji Yuan hadn’t been able to restrain him, so he hadn’t dared to use the Spirit Energy Cannon. That thing—if you brought it out but didn’t kill the target instantly, it would be wasted.
The enemy would guard against it with all their might and never give another chance to use it.
Truthfully, even back at the stone mountain, Ji Yuan had been planning to use the Spirit Energy Cannon against Real Person Heaven Silkworm.
"Can you forcefully restrain Real Person Heaven Silkworm?"
Ji Yuan asked in a rapid tone.
"You—you still want to kill him?!"
Even Dong Qian found it hard to keep up with Ji Yuan’s thinking now.
She could still understand when he had gone after Jiang Hong.
That Young Master Jiang was strong, but still at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Ji Yuan was at the same stage—it wasn’t impossible for them to fight. And indeed, the battle had been fierce, and Ji Yuan had used every means he had. But in the end, he had won.
But now?
He wanted to go after Real Person Heaven Silkworm.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator killing a Golden Core?
Was that even humanly possible?
Not to mention Ji Yuan, who was merely a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator of the first generation—even many reincarnated second-generation cultivators couldn’t pull that off!
Ji Yuan simply looked at her and replied with one simple word.
"Yes."
Having received Ji Yuan’s firm answer, Dong Qian asked no more and said directly: "The six-tailed one can’t restrain him—but I have another method that can... How long do you need?"
"How long can you restrain him?"
Ji Yuan countered with a question.
Dong Qian hesitated slightly, as if in thought. Then, in less than the span of a single breath, she gave her answer.
"Ten breaths."
Ten breaths of time—enough to activate the Spirit Energy Cannon.
"Let’s go!"
Ji Yuan’s gaze sharpened as he clenched both hands. The six depleted middle-grade spirit stones in his hands crumbled into dust and dispersed.
"Slay the Golden Core!"
Dong Qian didn’t know where Ji Yuan’s confidence came from, but just as Ji Yuan trusted her, she too trusted Ji Yuan.
So, when Ji Yuan said he was going to kill a Golden Core cultivator—she went along with it.
Controlling the Sky-Slicer Boat, Ji Yuan also retrieved the Ice Flood Dragon, who had just feasted and swallowed the demon core whole.
Half of the Scarlet Chain Python’s corpse still remained. Ji Yuan planned to take it back to supplement the Great Toad’s diet.
After all, it had guarded Misty Island for years. If not meritorious, at least it had labored.
If Ji Yuan had more resources, he would’ve already tried to raise it to late Tier-2.
On the way, passing near the Wei Family, Ji Yuan swept his Divine Sense over the area. He had hoped to conveniently slay Hu Li along the way—but did not see him.
The female cultivator, suspected to be Wang Xiu’s wife, who had been fighting him, was still alive. She was now cooperating with others to besiege another mid-Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator—but Hu Li was nowhere to be seen.
Gone.
Ji Yuan immediately understood—he had fled.
Just like at Shanghe Market, and outside Linshui City.
That slippery bastard—if not killed in the first moment, he’d always find a way to escape.
‘Damn it... If I meet him again next time, no matter what happens—I’ll kill him first, then ask questions.’
Ji Yuan resolved silently in his heart.
He wasn’t surprised that he couldn’t escape, but Hu Li could.
Heroes filled the world like fish in a river.
If heroes were like that, so too were prodigies.
If he, Ji Yuan, could transmigrate and gain a Panel, why couldn’t others gain fortunes as well?
With this mindset, Ji Yuan always remained cautious when traveling, and went all-out when facing enemies.
Real Person Heaven Silkworm was still fighting the Six-Tailed Demon Fox up north. So, after passing through the battlefield, the two of them had to continue heading north. After about half an incense stick’s worth of time, they reached the edge of the battlefield where the Golden Core cultivator fought.
"Damn, that’s brutal."
Ji Yuan didn’t even dare to approach, yet even the residual shockwaves left him stunned.
Several small mountains in the distance had been leveled, and the ground itself was riddled with spiderweb-like cracks—some as wide as a full foot.
At the center of the battlefield, the Six-Tailed Demon Fox revealed its true form, dozens of zhang tall. Its six tails lashed through the air like whips.
Real Person Heaven Silkworm had turned into escape light, flitting through the sky, dodging the demon fox’s tails while also seeking a chance to strike.
Whether he had suffered injuries, Ji Yuan did not know—but he did spot a severely wounded silkworm demon lying in the ruins far off.
It was about a zhang long, gray-black all over, its head mangled, and lay motionless.
In contrast, the Six-Tailed Demon Fox’s fur was tattered in many places, blood was faintly visible across its body, and there was a gaping wound on its back.
It was unclear how that wound was inflicted.
Overall, it was obvious the fox was at a disadvantage. If the fight continued, death was only a matter of time.
"This demonic cultivator is mid-Golden Core stage. The Six-Tail is also mid-Tier-3, but since it only recently broke through, and because this cultivator has too many trump cards... it’s very hard to kill. Are you sure you still want to make a move?"
Dong Qian transmitted her voice to explain.
Mid-Golden Core stage... Ji Yuan’s current Level-2 Spirit Energy Cannon, costing 3000 middle-grade spirit stones to activate at second gear, delivered an attack equivalent to a full-force strike from a mid-Golden Core cultivator.
Third gear cost 10,000 stones—equivalent to a peak-Golden Core strike.
Ji Yuan considered using 4000 stones to fire one blast at the injured Heaven Silkworm. That should be enough.
At worst, spend another 900 stones, use first gear, and fire again—it would definitely kill him.
"Kill!"
Still, that one word from Ji Yuan.
"Alright."
Dong Qian agreed without hesitation. She closed her eyes slightly, and her aura suddenly changed.
First, her disguise vanished, revealing her original appearance—radiant and enchanting. Then, at the center of her brows, a lotus-shaped blood mark appeared.
The curves of her eyes subtly changed as well, becoming slightly fox-like.
To be precise, they looked a lot like... a fox spirit.
What surprised Ji Yuan even more was that behind Dong Qian, under her black robe, a snow-white fox tail had emerged—fluffy and spotless.
But... how could this restrain a mid-Golden Core Real Person?
Ji Yuan sensed that her aura had changed from human to more beast-like, but her cultivation hadn’t changed at all.
Still early Foundation Establishment stage.
Not even mid-stage.
"Junior Brother, stop staring. Get ready—I’m about to act."
Dong Qian’s voice echoed in Ji Yuan’s mind via voice transmission.
Even through voice transmission, Ji Yuan could hear her shyness. After all, this was her first time revealing her true form in front of someone else.
Especially with that fox tail showing—it felt to her like standing naked in front of others.
"Alright."
Ji Yuan withdrew his gaze. With a thought, he took out his Spirit Energy Cannon from his storage pouch and set it up on the hill.
"What? It’s that thing?!"
Dong Qian exclaimed in surprise, just as Ji Yuan began powering up the Level-2 Spirit Energy Cannon.
The silver ring at the base began to slowly rise, glowing with a dense silvery light where once it had been dim.
Before Ji Yuan could even start feeding spirit stones into the ring—
He saw Dong Qian raise her left hand as if holding something, while her right hand formed a seal above it. In a soft voice, she chanted:
"Heavenly Fox Secret Art—Fall of Qingqiu."
As her voice fell, the entire ancient battlefield quaked.
Then Ji Yuan saw it—the vast open land behind them suddenly burst with a massive phantom of a Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox.
Its body was enormous. As it emerged, it soared into the sky, blotting out the sun.
Ji Yuan felt an oppressive force descend upon him. Under its pressure, he could not help but lower his head—even as he had just raised it.
No time to look further.
Dong Qian had made her move—he had to follow up.
He placed a hand on his storage pouch, and with a thought, the spirit stones flew out like a stream.
They poured directly into the silver ring of the Spirit Energy Cannon.
Ji Yuan watched with a tight heart.
‘Damn it, if killing this Heaven Silkworm doesn’t cover the cost, I’ll grind his bones to dust myself!’
As the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox phantom reached its peak height, it plummeted straight down.
From a distance, it looked like a fox—but upon closer inspection, it resembled a falling green mountain.
"No—"
In mid-air, Heaven Silkworm Real Person tried to flee in escape light and let out a furious roar.
But he was still stomped by the fox’s paw.
Straight from mid-air, crushed into the earth.
One breath later, Ji Yuan had fed 2000 middle-grade spirit stones into the cannon.
Two breaths—2500 stones.
Three breaths complete.
The silver ring in the center of the Spirit Energy Cannon could no longer be looked at directly. After absorbing 3000 stones worth of spiritual energy, the energy within it reached a terrifying state.
As the “gunner” operating the cannon, Ji Yuan now had a direct connection with it.
His perception was no longer limited to his eyes.
From above, everything within the cannon’s range was laid bare before him.
Naturally, he saw the Real Person Heaven Silkworm being pinned to the ground by the fox phantom, struggling furiously but unable to escape.
Given that—
What hesitation was there?
"Fire... now!"
Once Ji Yuan locked on to the target, he fired.
A loud "BOOM" echoed.
Ji Yuan felt the entire ground quake.
The hill he stood on had sunk directly into the earth!
His body dropped to the ground.
The silver ring of the Spirit Energy Cannon returned to normal—but trembled violently, as if it might explode at any moment.
The energy it had fired pierced straight through the battlefield.
That white light—like a sun-piercing arrow.
Wherever it passed, mountains and ground alike were vaporized under its energy.
As if nothing in the world could stop it.
And Real Person Heaven Silkworm?
From the moment he was locked on by the Spirit Energy Cannon, he had sensed it:
A Great Dread. A Mortal Danger.
He wanted to run!
He had to run. If he didn’t, he might really die here.
He saw Dong Qian activating a secret technique. He also saw Ji Yuan operating the Spirit Energy Cannon.
But none of it mattered anymore.
Because he realized—he couldn’t escape.
No matter how he struggled, he was crushed under the Fall of Qingqiu...
Until that dazzling, sun-like radiance bathed his body—
No explosion. No scream of pain.
There was only the unstoppable force of the Spirit Energy Cannon.
In the end, it left only a smooth, round hole in the ground, as if it had pierced through the earth itself.
And Real Person Heaven Silkworm?
Even after the phantom of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox had dissipated, there was no sign of movement from him.
Ji Yuan swept his Divine Sense over the area and finally saw it clearly.
Real Person Heaven Silkworm had become “Bug Real Person.”
Why?
Because half of his body was missing.
Only the remaining half lay motionless on the gravel ground.
A Golden Core cultivator without a Nascent Soul, with his body damaged to this extent—he was undoubtedly dead.
"Let’s go."
With that thought, Ji Yuan immediately summoned the Sky-Slicer Boat and in an instant arrived beside Real Person Heaven Silkworm. Then, he took out... the Thousand Souls Banner.
A Golden Core Real Person’s Yin Soul—this couldn’t be wasted.
Even stored in the Soul Banner, it would still be far more powerful than ordinary Yin Souls.
It might even become a Foundation Establishment-stage Yin Soul.
As for the remaining half of the body, he stored it too—he would bury it in the Grave Mound later and see if it could be revived.
If it worked—even a half-body Golden Core was still a Golden Core, right?
Next was the storage pouch.
Tied to Heaven Silkworm’s waist, Ji Yuan casually plucked it and put it into his own storage pouch.
"Let’s go. We’ll divide the loot once we’re out!"
Ji Yuan then moved to another spot and, following the principle of leaving no scrap behind, collected the corpse of the silkworm demon as well.
“There’s no more danger. No need to leave for now. I still have business here. If you want to go, Junior Brother, go ahead.”
With her tail retracted and her form restored to human, Dong Qian slowly shook her head.
This made Ji Yuan pause.
“How could I? If Senior Sister isn’t leaving, neither am I.”
Ji Yuan answered seriously. The greatest threat had been eliminated—next, Dong Qian was likely to open the tomb here, wasn’t she?
A Nascent Soul True Lord’s tomb—even if he gained nothing, just seeing it would be worthwhile.
Danger? If Dong Qian was willing to bring him, that meant it wasn’t dangerous.
If she didn’t bring him, then going alone would be dangerous.
And Ji Yuan hadn’t forgotten—his main reason for coming to the ancient battlefield was to condense a sword embryo.
He hadn’t even completed that goal—how could he leave?
Dong Qian looked at him and smiled brightly.
“Alright. I know you must have many questions. Come with me.”
After speaking, Dong Qian summoned her flying boat and flew west. The Six-Tailed Demon Fox, now no bigger than a kitten, turned into a streak of white light and leapt into her arms.
Seeing its injuries, Dong Qian was full of heartache and gently stroked its fur.
The Six-Tailed Demon Fox curled up, softly licking its wounds with its pink tongue.
Wherever it licked, the injuries visibly improved.
‘Fox saliva... That counts as a rare healing elixir too.’
Ji Yuan watched this and mused silently.
“With such an intense battle, won’t other Golden Core cultivators be drawn here?” Ji Yuan asked via voice transmission while keeping pace on his flying boat.
“No. The methods laid by Real Person Heaven Silkworm not only trapped us but also blocked outside detection.”
Dong Qian explained.
“Then... we should take care of the remaining demonic cultivators too.”
Ji Yuan was kind-hearted. He felt that even if these demonic cultivators escaped, they’d live like rats in the streets—might as well release them early.
“They’ve already been killed.”
Dong Qian’s tone was calm, as if speaking of something insignificant.
Ji Yuan paused briefly and quickly understood.
Earlier, when they had just entered from the north, those demonic cultivators were still alive—so when had Dong Qian acted?
And how could an early Foundation Establishment cultivator kill so many Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators?
Some of them were even late-Foundation Establishment...
Only one possibility remained: when she used that secret technique, she also employed some unknown method to kill them all at once.
If that was the case...
“What about the Wei Family?”
Ji Yuan couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked.
Upon hearing this, Dong Qian stopped her flying boat. She waited until Ji Yuan came up beside her before speaking: “The Foundation Establishment ones were also killed by me. The remaining Qi Refining stage members will leave this place and rebuild the Wei Family elsewhere.”
“The Wei Family were both tomb guardians and the key to unlocking my ancestor’s tomb.”
“Once I obtained the key and used a bit of blood to anoint it, only then could the tomb be opened... And Jiang Hong miscalculated. His original intent was to kill all cultivators inside this battlefield except for himself and Real Person Heaven Silkworm—but that wasn’t enough.”
“If you hadn’t killed Heaven Silkworm, I still wouldn’t have been able to open it.”
Dong Qian revealed everything in one breath.
“So that’s how it is.”
Much of the confusion in Ji Yuan’s heart faded—at least regarding the tomb.
But Dong Qian herself remained mysterious, shrouded in fog.
At first, Ji Yuan thought she was the reincarnation of the Nascent Soul ancestor here—but now, it didn’t seem that way. Then what was her identity?
She could even activate such a secret art.
Ji Yuan was puzzled, and Dong Qian knew it—but said no more.
The two continued west, eventually reaching the stone mountain where Jiang Hong and the others had been living.
Ji Yuan’s first reaction was to look up at the mountaintop—where was the palace?
Gone?
He clearly remembered when he had set off for the Wei Family, Jiang Hong hadn’t taken the palace with him.
“He took it when fleeing after you beat him.”
When Dong Qian said this, Ji Yuan did recall—when Jiang Hong fled, a streak of light had flown in from the west and was stored into his pouch.
At the time, Ji Yuan thought it was just some spiritual artifact from the battlefield—he never imagined it was the entire palace.
“If I’d known, I would’ve snatched it first. Damn.”
Dong Qian chuckled softly, saying nothing. She just felt that this version of Ji Yuan seemed more real—greedy, unwilling to suffer losses.
If it were based on their interactions back in the Water Dragon Sect, Dong Qian would’ve truly thought Ji Yuan was some emotionless cultivator from Xuanming Continent.
No emotions, no hobbies, and not even interested in romance.
“Come. Just follow me.”
Dong Qian said, taking a few steps forward to the base of the stone mountain.
She raised her right hand, a flash of spiritual light slicing open her fingertip, and squeezed out a drop of blood.
The blood fell—and instantly, a bloody glow spread across the ground. Ji Yuan then saw countless streams of blood being drawn in from afar, winding like crimson worms from underground and converging atop the stone mountain.
Watching the blood snake across the ground, Ji Yuan felt as if he were seeing a giant’s blood vessels.
And this mountain where they converged—was the giant’s heart.
“This place can only be opened by the blood of our Heavenly Fox Clan. That’s something Jiang Hong didn’t know. Without me, even if he claimed the battlefield, he still couldn’t enter.”
Dong Qian spoke freely with Ji Yuan.
And as her voice fell, a thunderous boom echoed from the stone mountain—and it split in half.
A pitch-black entrance appeared in the ground, leading straight down.
Dong Qian led the way, and Ji Yuan followed close behind.
Both of them were Foundation Establishment cultivators—day or night made no difference. Still, Dong Qian released a Luminous Pearl, which floated ahead to light the way.
As they entered the underground passage, the stone mountain resealed behind them—seamlessly, without a single gap.
“My ancestor had two tombs—one was public. All her treasures and traps were left there. That’s what the world calls a Nascent Soul Immortal Residence. But her corpse wasn’t buried there.”
“It’s here instead. So this place has no special layout—just a normal tomb.”
Dong Qian explained while walking in front.
Ji Yuan, meanwhile, kept using Divine Sense to check their surroundings. But it was just a plain corridor, so he asked, slightly disappointed, “Senior Sister, what’s your true cultivation? Have you formed a core?”
“You’re asking how I managed to restrain Real Person Heaven Silkworm, right?”
“Yes.”
Ji Yuan answered bluntly.
“At that moment, I drew upon a trace of my ancestor’s lingering soul. You can think of it as her acting through me. I’m not capable of that myself—I’m just an early Foundation Establishment cultivator.”
Dong Qian, walking ahead, lightly flicked her hair, letting her waterfall-like black hair cascade down.
With his Divine Sense always active, Ji Yuan naturally saw the fleeting elegance that flashed by.
“If I had formed a core, I wouldn’t have needed your help. Jiang Hong wouldn’t have escaped either.”
“I see.”
Ji Yuan felt a little disappointed.
If Dong Qian had formed a core, it would have been excellent for Ji Yuan—he could turn to her for help instead of bothering Hua Yaoyue.
As they descended the steps, they arrived at a long corridor.
Dong Qian fell silent, and Ji Yuan summoned his Panel.
He hadn’t forgotten—the upgrade condition for Level-2 Meditation Room was for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to kill one Golden Core cultivator.
To the former him, this was an impossible task—but he had unexpectedly obtained the Spirit Energy Cannon, and Dong Qian’s help.
It was fate, more or less.
【Meditation Room: lv2 (Upgradeable)】
【Effect: Meditate to refine Divine Soul. Can increase current realm’s Divine Sense by 200%.】
【Upgrade Condition: Kill one Golden Core cultivator as a Foundation Establishment. (Fulfilled)】
It worked!
It really worked!
Killing a Golden Core cultivator with the Spirit Energy Cannon—how could that not count as killing them oneself?
The previous Level 1 Meditation Room only enhanced Divine Sense by 80%, and that already helped Ji Yuan tremendously. Now, it could enhance it by 200%.
‘Once I reach Late Foundation Establishment, I might just have Divine Sense comparable to a Core Formation cultivator, right?’
Compared to anything else, this was the real treasure.
Divine Sense… was like a cultivator’s radar.
If your Divine Sense was strong, you could detect your opponent ahead of time—while they couldn’t detect you.
However, Ji Yuan stared at the panel and still didn’t choose to upgrade. Since the condition had already been fulfilled, the initiative to upgrade naturally rested in his hands.
Right now, he wasn’t inside the Meditation Room anyway. Whether he upgraded or not made no real difference.
Moreover, Ji Yuan was still considering waiting until he was inside the Meditation Room to upgrade, to see if he could get some sort of bonus from the upgrade—maybe his Divine Soul could strengthen significantly for free.
Hmm… best if he also cultivated the Ninefold Soul Suppressing Scripture at the same time.
Maybe the effect would double.
“Junior Brother, you seem quite happy?”
Dong Qian, walking in front, turned her head with a smiling look and asked.
“Mm, meeting Senior Sister in this ghost… place, of course I’d be happy.”
Ji Yuan replied casually.
“Indeed, I feel like we’re a bit fated too.”
Dong Qian said, seemingly implying something.
Ji Yuan was just about to ask further, but Dong Qian turned her head back again and continued leading the way.
After walking for about two or three li, Ji Yuan’s probing Divine Sense seemed to be disrupted by something, as if it had been shredded in half—and instantly vanished.
“Hmm?”
Part of his Divine Sense had been crushed. Ji Yuan felt a sharp pain in his mind and immediately retracted the rest of his Divine Sense.
Fortunately, his Divine Soul was still protected by the Soul Suppressing Bell. It trembled slightly and quickly quelled the internal damage in his Divine Soul.
Along with that, it emitted a wave of cool energy, aiding Ji Yuan’s soul recovery.
“Junior Brother, you probed with your Divine Sense?”
Dong Qian asked in surprise. Even she hadn’t expected Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense to be so strong… able to probe this far away.
“Yeah.”
Ji Yuan nodded, his face pale.
There was nothing to hide—it had been obvious.
“Don’t probe anymore. This is the tomb of a Nascent Soul cultivator.”
Well, wasn’t he just trying to look around, broaden his horizons, and maybe find something good… Ji Yuan nodded in agreement.
“Alright.”
A while later, the two finally arrived in front of the main burial chamber.
At this point, Dong Qian slowed her pace and put away the Luminous Pearl.
As for Ji Yuan, he even suppressed the sound of his footsteps and breathing.
“Relax, there’s nothing dangerous here.”
Dong Qian assured him and was the first to step inside the main burial chamber. Seeing nothing unusual happen, Ji Yuan followed.
The main chamber was extremely empty. Only in the center stood a tall platform.
The platform was entirely made of Spirit Stones. At first glance, Ji Yuan was delighted, but once he got a clearer look, the joy faded.
They were still Spirit Stones, but the spiritual energy inside them was already nearly depleted.
If all were converted, he wasn’t even sure if they’d be worth a few dozen Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.
Atop the platform rested a coffin.
The coffin was transparent, allowing Ji Yuan to clearly see the body of the Nascent Soul cultivator lying inside…
At first, he had thought this old monster of the Nascent Soul Realm would be some elder man or woman. But when he saw the appearance of this ancestral figure of the Heavenly Fox Clan, he realized he had been wrong—very wrong.
Because this ancestor of the Heavenly Fox Clan turned out to be a young, beautiful woman.
She wore a pink dress, her hands gently folded over her lower abdomen.
Rather than looking dead, she appeared to be merely sleeping.
“The Spirit Stones below are to preserve her physical body. Without them, her corpse would’ve already started rotting.”
Dong Qian didn’t say this aloud. Instead, she transmitted the message directly to Ji Yuan.
“Mm, Senior Sister, you’re here to…?”
Ji Yuan kept examining the body in the coffin. Strictly speaking, this was the first time he had seen a proper Nascent Soul cultivator… Even a dead one still counted, didn’t it?
“To retrieve some ancestral inheritance memories and help the Six-Tailed Fox evolve.”
Dong Qian continued to be forthright.
She reached out and gently stroked the Six-Tailed Fox, then placed it on her shoulder and squatted slightly, revealing a perfect curve to her figure—especially the two round shapes behind her.
She softly said, “Junior Brother, wait here for a moment. There’ll be benefits for you too.”
“There are benefits for me too?”
Ji Yuan had somewhat expected it, but hearing Dong Qian say so still brought him joy. “Then I’ll look forward to it.”
“Alright.”
Dong Qian finished speaking and dropped to her knees, bowing three times toward the corpse atop the platform. At the same time, she murmured something under her breath.
Ji Yuan strained to listen… but couldn’t understand.
It was clearly a different language.
Was this the language of the Heavenly Fox Clan?
Fox Tongue.
Ji Yuan also noticed that the once listless Six-Tailed Demon Fox suddenly became lively upon hearing the words. It stood up from Dong Qian’s shoulder and jumped in front of her, its six tails gently swaying.
Every few steps, it would turn around, shaking its head, signaling Dong Qian to follow.
Only after sincerely completing the ritual did Dong Qian rise and follow the Six-Tailed Demon Fox up onto the platform.
She pricked her finger again, letting a drop of fresh blood fall onto the coffin.
Not only that, she had the Six-Tailed Fox do the same—let a drop of its blood fall onto the coffin. Then she began chanting again.
This time, Ji Yuan understood, for Dong Qian was speaking in human tongue.
She said, “Junior, Tu Shanqian, respectfully beseeches the ancestor for aid, seeking to return to the Ancestral Land, and to once again return home.”
And then… the coffin opened!
The lid of the coffin slid open on its own, revealing a gap.
Ji Yuan watched with wide eyes. It was definitely not pushed open by Dong Qian—the coffin lid had moved on its own. Immediately afterward, Dong Qian placed the Six-Tailed Demon Fox inside the coffin.
The Six-Tailed Fox gently stepped onto the corpse’s chest.
“Ying ying ying.”
The fox first looked up at Dong Qian, letting out a series of sounds.
Ji Yuan couldn’t understand them, but Dong Qian nodded.
Only then did the seated Six-Tailed Demon Fox lower its head, lean forward, and place its mouth on the corpse.
Then Ji Yuan witnessed a strange scene.
The corpse, which still looked like a living person, visibly shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Like a balloon deflating, in just a few breaths, the corpse turned into a dried husk.
Meanwhile, a soft white glow radiated from the Six-Tailed Demon Fox, illuminating the empty chamber.
After four or five breaths, the Nascent Soul ancestor’s body turned into a cloud of ashes and completely vanished. The Six-Tailed Demon Fox then jumped out of the coffin and landed back in Dong Qian’s arms.
Dong Qian held it with both hands, pressing her forehead against the fox’s.
The white light on the Six-Tailed Demon Fox transferred to Dong Qian’s body.
Ji Yuan watched the scene and began to piece things together.
Because Dong Qian was a half-human, half-fox, not a pure fox demon, she needed to use the Six-Tailed Demon Fox as a “converter.” If she were a true fox, this wouldn’t have been necessary.
A few more breaths passed.
The white light on both person and fox completely faded.
Fox-like traits once again manifested on Dong Qian’s body—Blood Mark on her brow, fox-like eyes, the snow-white fox tail behind her—and even her entire being exuded a stronger charm.
Before Ji Yuan could speak, she turned toward him.
Then, with a single step, she arrived right in front of Ji Yuan… so close that their bodies were nearly touching.
“Junior Brother, tell me—am I beautiful?”
Dong Qian’s voice was soft and tender, her breath fragrant.
Ji Yuan felt a bit overwhelmed, but still instinctively stepped back half a step… only to be pulled forward—unable to retreat.
“Beautiful… Senior Sister is naturally beautiful.”
Ji Yuan looked at his now half-dressed fox-tribe Senior Sister and said with a parched throat.
But just as he tried to regain his composure, he suddenly realized that a wisp of energy seemed to be passing from Dong Qian’s mouth to his body.
And then, Ji Yuan’s resolute will crumbled completely.
He moved in close.
——
(Just a heads-up—I haven’t written this kind of scene in a long time, so tomorrow’s first chapter might get censored… If it doesn’t show up right away, don’t be surprised. Please vote for me with your monthly tickets!)
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